With a walking legend in the circle, it felt like there was no way any team was going to take down Southern Heritage in the Morrison Youth League.

Pitcher Lonnie Merriman, nicknamed "the Legend," was lethal on defense and Southern Heritage was slugging at the plate to beat McMinnville Funeral Home 15-5 in Thursday's title game.

Southern Heritage, the league's top regular season team as well, led wire-to-wire in the championship. Kyler Carpenter got things started right with a key RBI triple in a four-run first inning and McMinnville Funeral Home could never catch up.

Southern Heritage's defense had a lot to do with the lead staying protected. Lonnie was a defensive menace in the circle, tracking down pop flys, smothering grounders and running down opponents for  tags. Aiden Moody helped out as well, snaring a deep pop fly in the second inning and firing to second for an inning-ending double play.

With the defense in lockdown mode, Southern Heritage started increasing its lead little by little until the run rule was in effect.

Caden Moody singled and scored in the second, Sofia Flores and Jude Merriman  put two more runs on in the third by circling around after singles and Haven Flores and Kyler both scored in the fourth following doubles.

Aiden Moody helped the team's cause in the top of the fifth, ripping a double that put the team in double figures. By the time Lonnie Merriman finished the frame by singling and scoring, Southern Heritage was up 13-1.

McMinnville Funeral Home held off the mercy rule in the fifth as Elijah Wanamaker hit a two-out, two-run double to make it 13-4, but it would end in the sixth.

Mollie Harris' single and a double from Kane Carpenter got Southern Heritage rolling again in the sixth. Lonnie the Legend came through with the knockout blow, smashing a triple to put his team back up double figures for good.

After the game, Lonnie and Flores were named the Director's Choice top players in the Youth League.